sandgrubber

It's amazing what dogs can damage. The great thing about floor boards is that damage CAN be repaired. I'm ok with funky and don't mind looking at a few scratches. But if I had damaged timber floors and wanted to sell, all I'd need to do is have someone sand and re-coat the floor and it would look like a million dollars at a pretty reasonable cost. One thing I would consider if working with an original floor is the size of the gaps between boards. If there's a large gap, there's potential to store a lot of dirt. Not unsolvable. You can get someone to put a finish on that will fill in the cracks and leave it smooth and thus sweepable. Just something to consider. Btw, if I had my choice of floor, I'd go for polished concrete, gently sloped to a floor drain . . . so I could clean the floors with a high-pressure hose. Someday I'll build a house like that.

I got rid of the carpet.

Again . . . has anyone contacted channel 9 to point out that they are disseminating misleading information. winging on dol does nothing. . . ok it may let off steam.

Yes there was some relief in hearing the info. There's worry in just not knowing what the kidney enzymes reading means. They said her problem still could be EPI. I've just managed to collect a urine sample from her (boy was that a challenge with a girl who likes her privacy! ) so am heading off to take that in to the hospital now. Congrads on getting a urine sample. I've always dreaded that some vet is going to tell me to provide one. If you're worried about EPI, you might find the following link useful http://canineepi.yuku.com/directory

Hey guys. Why are you complaining on DOL about this instead of letting channel 9 know they're doing a rotten job? Or have you done both? (I hope so). p.s. I don't watch Channel 9, so can't comment on the program.

Misleading headline. Should be clear that it is a proposed law and up for comment. Good on the council for advertising and leaving room for comment. If you don't like it and you live there, by all means, comment. In my 60+ years, I have walked by a few front yards and felt like a scene from Jurassic Park when the velociraptors hit the fence and you get a gut feeling that the containment system might fail. I don't think that's a good vibe for a neighbourhood, and see why a council might want such dogs constrained to the back yard. Hell. Many councils don't allow a decent dog fence along the street and thus by default require back yard confinement. This system at least leaves it open for people with friendly or unscary dogs to use the front yard as exercise area.

If it's your own dog and the little bugger sleeps on the floor anyway . . . just take the bed away and don't worry about it. In a kennel we have to show we are giving the dog a choice. But if 'bed' = toy and floor = bed, why bother. In summer many of my personal dogs won't get on a bed ... preferably seek out a hole they have dug under the rosemary bush where the retic system keeps the sand moist.

I rented house and kennels to a Lagotto breeder who is no longer in operation . . . . please don't ask for references. From living next door, I sense that Lagottos can be great little dogs, but DO require a lot of grooming, especially if they are in a natural environment with burrs, grass seeds, etc. (ears need cleaning to avoid infection even if they aren't allowed out in nature). Also, pups that aren't properly socialised at a young age may not make good pets.

Ya. But bitch that I am I can still bitch about it :D . As for not working at first . . . that's normal. Remember the lines all the way around the supermarket when they first introduced bar code scanning? But supermarket customers don't tolerate incompetence cause they loose customers when the lines get too long. The CC's are monopolies.

Kangaroo breeders beware. They only have 12 chromosomes I'd be interested to know if there's any empirical evidence to support this theory . . . eg, do fruitflies (six chromosomes) fall apart under inbreeding? Do carp, with 104, stand up to it well?

I've recently spent some time on the US (AKC) site relating coordinating the officialdom of the pedigree dog community and was struck by the fact that US breeders can register litters, transfer ownership, etc. online. No more having to write membership numbers and registration numbers twice on the same damn piece of paper . . . no worry about getting your forms sent back to you with a find and a delay because you copied a 0000 as 000 when writing out the numbers. Why isn't the Australian scene keeping up? I'm sure someone would be happy to sell us the software for a fraction of what it costs to handle the paperwork.

The point is that you can breed dogs to be vicious. Government is correct in recognising this and prohibiting imports in cases where the breed standard overtly encourages this. I have no problem with the fila breed per se. They are lovely looking dogs, and have some noble traits. I do have problems with any breed standard that not merely tolerates, but openly encourages HA and DA tendencies, and expects them to be shown by 12 weeks of age (try some google work on the fila if you don't know what I'm talking about --and make sure to turn on the features that allow translation of Portuguese). I think it is correct to prohibit imports of anything that is designed branded to inflict damage on people and/or other animals . . . whether it's a switchblade knife or a guard dog. The idiots among the Australian population who shouldn't have dogs at all and get APBT's because they are 'tough' would find the fila one step above the APBT from fighting lines. I can see them branded as the pit bull of mastif size. If safeguards were in place to ensure that filas stayed in the hands of people capable of keeping them from doing what they were bred to do, or to see that the only imports were of dogs who failed to show sufficient courage and aggression as pups, I could change my mind. I see no such safeguards, nor would I trust the relevant authorities to enforce behavioural/temperament safeguards if they were put into writing. The time I spent in Brasil (~8 months 1n the 1980s, mostly in Para and Amazonas provinces, with time in Sao Paulo, Rondonia and Minas Gerias) left me thinking that the powers that be in most of Brasil wouldn't care much if a poor person was killed by a guard dog. This may be changing. [Now-President] Lula was seen as a hopeless case when I was in Brasil. I understand that in his reign there is a genuine move toward social equality in progress. But the murder of street children in past decades is well documented, and undocumented killings in frontier regions have clearly happened. I associate the fila with an attitude that arises when the rich need to protect their families and property from the poor (or to catch their runaway slaves). . . . a breed, unfortunately, developed as a tool in class welfare. I see it as reasonable to ban imports of such breeds . . . unless some credible filter is put in place to ensure that the dog or pup in question is not DA or HA.

I am against BSL for the APBT, but think BSL has a place. Sorry, I couldn't sign. If a breed has a breed standard that favours HA and DA tendencies, eg, the Filo Brasilioero (acceptable, by breed standards to bite the judge in a specialty show, supposed to be HA to non family members and DA to an extreme) I don't think imports should be allowed.

Please update us when you get the bloods report. I don't want to comment before info is complete . . . other than to say that loosing weight isn't a common problem with Labbies. I would be worried that pancreatitis was a sign of pancreatic cancer (horrendous, incurable disease that progresses rapidly . . . common in dogs .. . my mother died of it) . . . not sure if bloods would show that.

Unfortunately, there isn't much market for a piece of someone's mind. I'm reminded of the old Quaker maxim: "Speak yee not in anger". Better to present a well reasoned argument and not end out with a threat-counter-threat sort of dialog. Not that I'm above 'mouthing off' myself .. . I frequently post after a few drinks and say things that probably should have been thought out further .. . . but posting on this forum isn't exactly high-impact . .. . so, presuming you stay within the bounds of civility and forum rules, it's a good way to diffuse anger. When it comes to giving input to a government project looking for input on a decision, I think it's counter-productive to let go of your temper.

Another factor working against the APBT is the name. That 'pit' thing really scares me. The most serious dog attack I've had in my boarding kennel was an APBT X Lab that looked more Lab like . .. but went for the throat of a little SBT (thanks to a flying tackle, no more harm than a few puncture wounds). I have met some very lovable Pitties, and don't support BSL for them. But I think it is necessary to have pressure kept on APBT breeders to tone down the DA and eliminate the HA tendencies sometimes manifested in this breed -- and other breeds with a history of breeding for fighting or aggression.

You'd hear of them if the Filo Brasiliero were allowed. They are 45 kg+ dogs, bred to be highly intolerant of humans outside the family. Original purpose: Capture (maim and kill acceptable) runaway slaves. Still used to protect cattle from cattle rustlers and jaguars . . . perhaps also protect children from kidnapping (kidnapping for ransom is a big thing in some areas of Brasil). They are only shown in specialty shows in the US. Require a judge that can handle a breed where it is acceptable (by breed standard) for the dog to bite the judge and unacceptable for the dog to be tolerant or (breed-standard forbid) friendly toward strangers. Obviously, feeling the testies is not safe practice. Lovely, strong mastiff-type dogs. But too dangerous for general circulation. I don't support BSL with respect to the APBT . . . but think it is sensible for any breed where the breed standard supports and requires temperament only suitable to environments where extreme human aggression or dog aggression is required. If the APBT were still being advertised as a dog suited to pit fights, I would also support BSL for the APBT.

It always goes on much longer than you think it should. . . . as everyone is telling you.

The clip below turned up under EIC in Labradors . . . mostly inviting guffaws cause it's so full of jargon. On rereading it I think it has some interesting things to say about the state of the art re epilepsy. 1. They are breeding mutant mice that are prone to partial and generalised seizures (no doubt inbreeding with very high COI). 2. the genes involved are autosomal DOMINANT (perhaps with incomplete penetrance?) 3. they're starting to get a handle on the biochemistry . . . which may yield effective, specific drugs for treating epilepsy. Of course mice aren't dogs, and there may be more than one genetic condition that leads to epilepsy. Still . . . it gives hope that they are starting to get a handle on the disease and we may someday have both tests and a quality form of treatment. Would love to see other references about recent work on genetics and biochemistry of epilepsy. I read a Danish study one time that found ~3% of Danish Labradors have seizures . . . mostly partial seizures. If this is coming from a dominant gene that isn't always expressed it has some rather confusing ramifications for breeders. http://www.pnas.org/content/106/33/14085.a...24-f1561bcfabfb Mutation I810N in the α3 isoform of Na+,K+-ATPase causes impairments in the sodium pump and hyperexcitability in the CNS Steven J. Clapcotea,b,1, Steven Duffya, Gang Xiea, Greer Kirshenbauma,c, Allison R. Becharda, Vivien Rodacker Schackd, Janne Petersend, Laleh Sinaia,c, Bechara J. Saaba,c, Jason P. Lerche, Berge A. Minassianc,e, Cameron A. Ackerleye, John G. Sledc,e, Miguel A. Cortezc,e, Jeffrey T. Hendersonc, Bente Vilsend and John C. Rodera,c + Author Affiliations aSamuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada M5G 1X5; bInstitute of Membrane and Systems Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom; cDepartments of Medical Biophysics, Medical Genetics, Paediatrics, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada M5S 1A1; dDepartment of Physiology and Biophysics, Centre for Membrane Pumps in Cells and Disease–PUMPKIN, Danish National Research Foundation, University of Aarhus, DK-8000 Aarhus, Denmark; and eMouse Imaging Centre, Program in Genetics and Genome Biology, and Divisions of Neurology and Pathology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada M5G 1X8 Abstract In a mouse mutagenesis screen, we isolated a mutant, Myshkin (Myk), with autosomal dominant complex partial and secondarily generalized seizures, a greatly reduced threshold for hippocampal seizures in vitro, posttetanic hyperexcitability of the CA3-CA1 hippocampal pathway, and neuronal degeneration in the hippocampus. Positional cloning and functional analysis revealed that Myk/+ mice carry a mutation (I810N) which renders the normally expressed Na+,K+-ATPase α3 isoform inactive. Total Na+,K+-ATPase activity was reduced by 42% in Myk/+ brain. The epilepsy in Myk/+ mice and in vitro hyperexcitability could be prevented by delivery of additional copies of wild-type Na+,K+-ATPase α3 by transgenesis, which also rescued Na+,K+-ATPase activity. Our findings reveal the functional significance of the Na+,K+-ATPase α3 isoform in the control of epileptiform activity and seizure behavior.

Have attempted to move the epilepsy sub thread to a new thread . . . Sorry to hear EIC fatality confirmed. It is a bit of a wake-up. Was it a US dog?

What a horrid thing to happen to an oldie. Even if he's not seriously hurt, I'm sure he's emotionally gutted. I keep hoping to read that they impounded the owner, but it never seems to happen. I hope this is treated as a serious crime. I would say having your dog killed is at least as bad as getting mugged or raped, and should be treated equally seriously. If people don't control their dogs, they should be held accountable for the outcomes.

1. I get short term insurance for puppy buyers that gives them a $100 deductible. I try not to sell to people who are cash-strapped and who are likely to end out in such a situation. Having said that: If the required surgery had something to do with the way I bred the dog, I'd refund the purchase price and not blacklist. I would probably opt for the green needle myself if a pup required expensive surgery to get out of the starting gate, even if I had cash on hand. For all I know, the pups we (most breeders) PTS for cleft palate could be saved if we were willing to put $3k into fixing the problem. I would prefer it if the puppy buyer call me to let me know what is happening before making a decision . . . sometimes vets prescribe expensive surgery that is entirely unnecessary. 2. Variations in vet fees/up front payment. BFD. I can buy carrots in a 20 kg bag from the corner gas station (horse carrots, but just fine for eating, also grrreat munchies for Labradors) at $0.35/kg . . . or I can buy slightly more perfect carrots from Wollies at (on special) $1.29/kg. That's life. You shop around. You figure out what you want to pay for and you look for the best vet you can find for what you want. You either keep cash reserves or get some form of insurance. I entirely respect vets requiring up-front payment. Breeders should avoid selling to people who are so cash strapped that they can't pay vet bills . . . or get insurance.

. . . not to mention having a litter of pups apparently get KC from the vaccine. I had 2 litters come down with KC at 8 weeks old when i had one of the adult dogs done with the intra nasal .Within 3 days of him having the vaccine all the dogs had it,2 developing pnuemonia despite being put on prophylactic AB'S straight away. Sounds like the same batch of vaccine that got my dogs. None of my adults got it, but all the pups did, and they were sick for weeks . . . worse still, it hung around to get two subsequent litters of pups. If this happened with any of the jabs they give kids there would be hell to pay. I don't know how everyone is so blase' about quality control for dog vac's.

If the trouble is that one is taking possession of the toy and the other wants it, it might be worth hanging the toy from the ceiling, slightly off the ground. This makes it quite hard for either dog to take possession. Might make things worse . . . but I think you're going to find yourself trying various things.

Not sure what training regime/protocol Righteous Pups have (ie are they like Assistance Dogs Australia who train the dog up and then pair the dog to the person?) but I can see where $29,000.00 would easily go. Take into account dog's food, vet care, insurance, housing costs and THEN take into account the hours on hours of training the dog receives before it is homed to a person needing and qualifying for an assistance dog. Think about your own (or the average) yearly wage and work out what percentage $29,000.00 represents, without forgetting how much of that $29,000.00 is not nett but would be taken up by out of pocket expenses. True, though. Assistance dogs who require specialised training do cost a lot for one person to pay out for. But it's not a lot of money in terms of time/out-lay. They are worth their weight in gold, though, IMO. I love seeing assistance dogs with their 'people'. There is a very special bond that forms between them that doesn't as often occur between dogs and able-bodied/minded people. I also love seeing assistance dogs . . . and would like to see more of them. As a Lab breeder I get occasional calls from people with austic kids who are DIY'ing it because the certified assistance dogs are so expensive and the waiting lists too long. I wish there were a more affordable way to do the training . . . especially for people whose kids have milder forms of autism and could use guidance but don't require a major investment in training. I'm not arguing and don't mean to be rude . . . I just don't understand the price tag. A quality Labrador pup is going to cost less than $2000. Keeping a pup for a year costs me around $1000, call it $2000. . . . though many assistance dogs are raised by volunteer families, so rearing costs are reduced. If the pups are put in service at one year, that still leaves $25k for training. I would think a trainer working full time could train more than four dogs a year. That comes out to a pretty good salary . . . quite a bit more than I earned as a Uni Lecturer. Maybe that's naive. Most of us aren't good at seeing the holes in our own reasoning.